In Grave Secret, Harper Connelly -- and Charlaine Harris' fans -- receive some long-awaited answers to many of the questions posed in the first three books of the series. Instead of centering around a random, anonymous case facing supernatural corpse-detector Harper, the mystery woven through this book is intimately connected to Harper's own family, and her own tragic unsolved crime.
Grave Secret picks up shortly after the events of An Ice Cold Grave. Harper and her step-brother (now, lover) Tolliver have returned to their hometown to spend some time with their two young sisters, Gracie and Mariella. While they're back in familiar territory, they reconnect with Tolliver's older brother, Mark and less happily, with Tolliver's father Matthew, recently released from prison. While in town, Harper also takes a case for a rich local ranching family to help them determine the cause of death of the family patriarch.
Seemingly unconnected events start to collide when Tolliver is shot in their hotel room, and Harper begins to unravel an almost unbelievable chain of events that circle back to the mystery she's been trying to solve for 8 years -- the disappearance of her sister, Cameron.
I didn't realize this was the last planned book in the Harper Connelly series, although that fact became clear quickly as the book progressed. Harris does a good job of resolving loose ends and giving her heroine some answers, although the process seems a little rushed at times. I think the book might have benefitted from another 100 pages or so to help flesh out some of the plot points, but Harris is a genius at wrapping up convoluted story lines, and she does not disappoint in Grave Secret. Fans will be satisfied with the conclusion, I think.
Frankly, I'm happy to see a resolution to the Harper Connelly series. I enjoyed it, but it paled in comparison to the author's wildly popular Sookie Stackhouse books. If concluding this series gives Harris more time to spend dreaming up adventures for Sookie and the supes in Bon Temps, I'm more than happy to bid Harper a fond farewell.
Grave Secret picks up shortly after the events of An Ice Cold Grave. Harper and her step-brother (now, lover) Tolliver have returned to their hometown to spend some time with their two young sisters, Gracie and Mariella. While they're back in familiar territory, they reconnect with Tolliver's older brother, Mark and less happily, with Tolliver's father Matthew, recently released from prison. While in town, Harper also takes a case for a rich local ranching family to help them determine the cause of death of the family patriarch.
Seemingly unconnected events start to collide when Tolliver is shot in their hotel room, and Harper begins to unravel an almost unbelievable chain of events that circle back to the mystery she's been trying to solve for 8 years -- the disappearance of her sister, Cameron.
I didn't realize this was the last planned book in the Harper Connelly series, although that fact became clear quickly as the book progressed. Harris does a good job of resolving loose ends and giving her heroine some answers, although the process seems a little rushed at times. I think the book might have benefitted from another 100 pages or so to help flesh out some of the plot points, but Harris is a genius at wrapping up convoluted story lines, and she does not disappoint in Grave Secret. Fans will be satisfied with the conclusion, I think.
Frankly, I'm happy to see a resolution to the Harper Connelly series. I enjoyed it, but it paled in comparison to the author's wildly popular Sookie Stackhouse books. If concluding this series gives Harris more time to spend dreaming up adventures for Sookie and the supes in Bon Temps, I'm more than happy to bid Harper a fond farewell.
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